|
|
 |
You are > Home > Drumm signals cuts for hospital
|
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Drumm signals cuts for hospital
SMALLER HOSPITALS like Roscommon may have to stop operating on a 24-hour basis, outgoing CEO of the HSE Professor Brendan Drumm has signaled.
Professor Drumm’s comments come in the wake of plans by members of SIPTU in the HSE West to ballot for strike action following plans to cut hundreds of temporary contract jobs.
SIPTU said it was forced to ask members to vote on industrial action when the HSE refused to enter talks after announcing it had to take immediate action to slash costs in the western area.
Speaking on This Week on RTÉ Radio over the weekend, Professor Drumm, who steps down next month, said there was no justification for having four hospitals open every night for 300,000 people in Counties Galway and Roscommon. He noted that in three out of four of those hospitals there may only be one overnight surgery per month and in some cases maybe only one per year.
“We pay massive costs up to €10,000 per night in overtime to keep them open and at the same time we are having to take out a homecare package for an elderly person who needs care for a pneumonia at home for the next week,” he said.
SIPTU’s Senior Health Organiser, Paul Bell said this week that it was vital to hold a protective strike ballot in case management decided to implement the sort of cuts, which have been the centre of speculation recently. Local management in HSE West faces enormous pressure to achieve savings of at least 68 million.
Reacting to Professor Drumm’s comments Deputy Denis Naughten said that he should listen to the people who told their stories at public meetings on the future of the hospital, people who were only around to do so because Roscommon Hospital was open on a 24/7 basis.
“Last month we heard the Minister for Health stating that Roscommon Hospital would cease to act as a stand alone facility and now the comments made by Professor Drumm are a further indication, if one was needed, of the HSE’s plans to downgrade services at Roscommon County Hospital,” said Deputy Naughten.
Main News Page |
Previous Page
|
|
|
|
Facebook
Twitter
